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Simon Donald

Simon Shaw Donald is a British television writer, playwright, actor, producer and director. Donald has won many awards both for stage and television productions. His work for the theatre includes "The Life of Stuff" and for television "Low Winter Sun" and "Fortitude". Early Life Donald was born in Lanark and grew up in Wishaw, Lanarkshire. Both his parents came from Wishaw. His father Shaw J Donald was a science teacher, his mother Nan Donald a sales rep. He studied at the University of Aberdeen and was president of the University Dram Soc. His acting and writing career began in University productions at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Career Donald's first stage play, written while he was in his last year at University, was "A Tenant for Edgar Mortez". Donald himself performed the one-man piece. It played at the 1983 Edinburgh festival and won the Sunday Times Best New Playwright Award, the Observer Best New Play and the Scottish Arts Club Most Outstanding Performer on the Fringe. The story concerned a lonely young man renting out a room in his house to an elderly holocaust survivor. Donald toured the play around the UK and so qualified for Equity Union membership and became a professional actor. He was commissioned by the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh to write a play "In Descent". He wrote two more plays for the Traverse "Prickly Heat" and "The Life of Stuff". He worked as an actor in the Traverse Company for twelve years. The Traverse Theatre produced only new plays, most often the writers were present in rehearsals. Donald found the rehearsal period as an actor hugely helpful in his own development as a writer. He also worked as an actor in television productions, having a lead part in "Soldier Soldier" and playing alongside Richard E Grant and Albert Finney in Dennis Potter's posthumously produced "Karaoke". 1

"The Life of Stuff" was produced at the Donmar Theatre in London and won "Evening Standard Most promising Playwright", "London Theatre Critics Best new Play" and was nominated for an Olivier for "Best Comedy". Donald's last stage appearance was in "The Swan" at the Traverse where he was naked on stage for the first half hour of the performance. He moved from stage work to film and television writing. His first scripts were two episodes of STV's "Doctor Finlay". He then wrote "Deacon Brodie" in which Billy Connolly played the lead. He adapted and directed his stage play "The Life of Stuff" for BBC Films. He wrote the screenplay for the thriller "Beautiful Creatures" starring Rachael Weiss. Next he wrote "My Life So Far" directed by Hugh Hudson. "Low Winter Sun" which won the RTS Best Drama Serial and Scottish Bafta Best Drama was followed by "The Deep" a six part BBC thriller. In 2015 Donald created, wrote and exec produced the Sky Atlantic show "Fortitude", a horror/thriller set in the Arctic which ran for three seasons till 2019. In 2015 "Fortitude" was shown in the Capital screening theatre in Washington DC where Donald was invited onto a panel of climate scientists to address American Congress on the subject of drama and climate change. Personal Life Donald's wife since 1987 is the photographer Carol Gordon. Traverse Theatre Productions Losing Venice Elizabeth Gordon Quinn Prickly Heat Playing with Fire Conquest of the South Pole Life and Times of Elias Sawney Abel Barebone and the Humble Company Struggle of the Dogs and the Black Are There Tigers in the Congo Columbus, Blooding the Ocean. Hour of the Lynx actor actor writer/actor actor actor actor actor actor actor actor actor 2

Hardie and Baird The Life of Stuff The Swan Film The Life of Stuff My Life so Far Beautiful Creatures Television as Writer Doctor Finlay. Episode - Old Flames Doctor Finlay. Episode - Stolen Lives Deacon Brodie The Ebb-Tide. TV Movie actor writer/director actor writer writer (based on the autobiography of Dennis Forman) writer Murphy's Law (two episodes) Low Winter Sun (Both feature length Episodes) Wallander (one episode) The Deep (writer, creator, co-exec producer six Episodes) Fortitude (writer, creator, exec producer, twenty six Episodes) Television as Actor Taggart (ne Killer) God Rot Tunbridge Wells The Houseman's Tale Brond Taggart (three Episodes) City Lights Play on One. The Dunroamin Rising Screenplay. Knowing the Score Screenplay. Hour of the Lynx Soldier Soldier (Five Episodes) Taggart (one Episode) Rides (Three Episodes) Policeman (uncredited) Prince Raspioli Paraphomosis Man Literary Young Man Andrew McKnight William Findlay Policeman Arthur Boy Major Bob Cochrane Prof Eric Cunningham Billy Grant Aiden "Haggis" Barrington Patrick Whelan Doctor Giovanni Ian Inspector McKenna Louis Winklebrand Screen One. Stalag Luft Between the Devils Advocate Karaoke (Four Episodes) Bad Boys (Six Episodes) Ivanhoe (Five Episodes) Down Among the Big Boys Lines 3

Deacon Brodie The Ebb-Tide Ultraviolet The New Adventures of Robin Hood The Deep Fortitude Awards and Nominations 1983 Sunday Times Best New Playwright Andrew Ainslie Doctor Lewis David Gil Feathergill/Luther Doctor Christianson Neil McIndoe A Tenant for Edgar Mortez Won Won Observer Best New Play Scottish Arts Club Most Outstanding Performer on the Fringe Won 1993 Evening Standard Best Playwright The Life of Stuff Won London Critics Best new Play Olivier Best Comedy 2006 RTS Best Drama Serial Bafta Scotland Best Writer Won Nominated Low Winter Sun Won Won 4